One of my highest-profiled
authors passed away this past weekend at age 96. Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a
wonderful TV talk-show host and best-selling author who helped make talking
about sex publicly a normal and essential thing. She was as entertaining as she
was informative. The Holocaust survivor immigrant seemed like the least likely
to dole out sex advice. She was a little old Jewish grandma type well into
middle-age before her TV show came out. She will be missed and to her, I
dedicate this blog post on romance books.
I promoted one of her books around 1990 and
enjoyed collaborating with someone who already was a star. She was also a very
nice person who helped millions of people usher in a sexual revolution of
intimacy and fun.
Perhaps it is not a coincidence that romance
books are the most popular genre in America. Have been for a long time.
Americans want love, romance, and sex but seem
to be having less and less of it. Some blame certain prescription drug or
immunization shot side effects for the fall off. Others blame the proliferation
of household porn. Whatever it is, Americans are screwing less, delaying
marriage, divorcing more frequently, and complaining about their love lives —
even though there are many apps dedicated to meeting people, plenty of couples
in therapy, readily available online escorts, and plenty of public acceptance
to every kind of kink or sexual mating preference.
The number of bookstores
dedicated to selling just romance books has expanded to over 20 since the first
one opened in 2016, according to The New York Times. On the one hand,
genre-specialty stores mean there is a segregation of books that limits one’s
overall choices; on the other hand, it unites people with a common desire and
we should expand on this concept.
Let’s turn these romance book stores into a
mini-campus dedicated to all things sex. Let’s turn them into romance theme
parks.
In one-stop-shopping, you can have:
* A hotel by the hour on the grounds
* Matchmakers, marriage counselors, and
relationship sexperts coming in to speak
* Sex toys could be sold and demonstrated like
Tupperware
* Romance games could be played or sold
* Plays could act out famous sex scenes
* A theatre could show only romance movies or
erotic films
* Singles events could be held there
* Throuples night
* Have a kink night safe space
* Lingerie and fashion shows could be held
* Public orgies
* Nude beaches
* LGBTQ book clubs
The possibilities are endless.
Thank you, Dr. Ruth, for making everyone feel
normal and healthy about their sex lives. Now go read a romance novel and enjoy
lots of great sex.
Need PR Help?
Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page
views, can be reached at [email protected] He is available to help authors promote their story,
sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in
successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your
advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian
Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be
followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts
over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018
as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by
www.WinningWriters.com as a “best resource.” For the past three decades,
including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book
publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses,
Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres,
right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark
Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay,
Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan
RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence
College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have
been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY
Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington
Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, &
Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured
in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
